


Dinner for Two

by Capbuckyang



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Blow Jobs, Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pittsburgh Penguins, Rutting, Tampa Bay Lightning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 22:52:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10603950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capbuckyang/pseuds/Capbuckyang
Summary: “Hey, Stammer.”Sidney smiles, bright and friendly, as if he didn’t just land in Tampa a few hours ago in preparation for a huge game against the Lightning tomorrow. He missed Steven at practice and something had compelled him to change his plans for the rest of the day to visit the Captain of the opposing team just hours before a game.Sometimes, he doesn’t try to understand why he does the things he does.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this when the Pens came down to practice in December last year. It's a total random pairing, I know, but after seeing the difference of the bolts practicing without Stammer on the ice and the Pens surrounding Sid on the ice, I had to. Food equals comfort in my head.

 

* * *

 

 

“You not come, Sid?” Geno asks after he walks into Sidney’s hotel room without knocking.

“What if I was naked?” Geno smirks and raises an eyebrow. “You not.” Sidney rolls his eyes and tries not to smile at Geno’s goofy smirk, but it’s a losing battle he gave up on fighting a long time ago.

He sent a text earlier saying he’d skip out on a team dinner in favor of staying in. He should’ve known Geno wouldn’t let that lie.

“No I’m not coming, you guys go ahead.”

“Feel okay?” Geno gets this little furrow between his eyebrows when he’s worried and Sidney finds it really cute.

"I’m fine, Geno, actually just wanted to catch up with a friend.”

“In Tampa?” Geno sounds highly skeptical.

“I can have friends in Tampa.”

It takes a few more minutes of reassurances and promises that he’s not going to go over game tape till he passes out until Geno leaves and Sidney finally calls for a ride to the nearest Publix.

He ends up at Steven’s doorstep 30 minutes after that, both arms holding up bags of groceries, everything to make a decent salmon and brown rice dinner. He hears Steven’s dog barking before he can knock twice.

“Hey, Stammer.”

Sidney smiles, bright and friendly, as if he didn’t just land in Tampa a few hours ago in preparation for a huge game against the Lightning tomorrow. He missed Steven at practice and something had compelled him to change his plans for the rest of the day to visit the Captain of the opposing team just hours before a game.

Sometimes, he doesn’t try to understand why he does the things he does.

The dog’s bouncing on his heels, excited to have a visitor and Sidney bends to his knees, carefully lowering the grocery bags to let Trigger lick his face enthusiastically. “Hey buddy, nice to see you too,” Sid grins and would scratch behind his ears and pat his belly if he had free arms. He looks up and takes in Steven’s ruffled hair, baggy sweatpants, old bolts t-shirt, and knows he made the right decision, even if he feels a bit nervous. Steven leans against a crutch under one of his arms and reaches out to calm Trigger down while a series of confused emotions cross over his normally serene face.

“What are doing here?” he asks finally. “I’m making dinner,” Sidney says brightly and stands up more gracefully than expected when a puppy is jumping up with his paws on his thighs. He steps past Steven to come inside his house.

“Nice place, you finally settled in.”

“What the fuck, Sid.”

Sidney ignores him and makes his way to the kitchen, Trigger hot on his heels. He doesn’t know where everything is, but he’s good at adjusting to new places. Trigger spots a toy lightning stick after circling Sidney in the kitchen three times and makes a beeline for the toy.

“What’s this?” Sidney asks, after he places the bags on the countertop and points at a sad looking plastic container of something that slightly resembles chicken and some kind of greens.

“I was actually warming up dinner.”

Sidney scoffs and throws the entire container into the trash. “Hey! What the hell, man?”

“That frozen stuff isn’t good for you.”

“It’s not store bought, you idiot, Killer made a shit ton of them and stuck them in the freezer for me.”

“That’s thoughtful.”

Sidney washes his hands and sees Steven stare mournfully at the discarded dinner and then eye the bags of food on the counter curiously.

“Move, please,” Sidney says when he turns around from the sink and finds Steven leaning uncomfortably on a crutch and making a vaguely bewildered expression. “This is my kitchen,” he says evenly, but there’s a lingering question at the end of his sentence that makes Sidney smile.

“Why don’t you help me?”

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re actually doing here first? Did the boys say something at practice?”

He slides out and around from Steven, pressing himself against Steven’s side and lets his hand rest on his waist for a second too long.

“Didn’t get a chance to see your boys after practice, we left right after.”

Steven has a vast array of dishes, pans, and trays, and Sidney wonders who forced him to go shopping for all the stuff, because he knows he didn’t go out by himself. He had Taylor and his mom help out for his own dishes and Tupperware. Being completely loaded doesn’t come with a helpful guide on house décor, supplies, and arrangements. He finds a large baking tray and spreads it out over the counter along with the rest of the ingredients.

“You should sit.” Steven sighs, it sounds resigned, but he does sit on one of the counter stools, seeming less weirded out by Sidney basically taking over his kitchen.

“Chop these,” Sidney hands him a cutting board, knife, and a few lemons and herbs.

“So you just felt like making salmon? Couldn’t find a good enough seafood restaurant?” Steven’s smiling now and the tension from earlier is slowly dissipating which Sidney counts as a win.

“I can’t just come by to visit my teammate?”

“We’re not teammates.”

Sidney drizzles some olive oil on the tray and places the salmon over a bed of sliced lemons once Steven’s cut a decent amount.

“We are sometimes.”

Trigger finds his way into the Kitchen again and nuzzles up against Steven’s thigh. “You been taking him out for walks?”

“When I can. Vladdy and Pointer do a good job of it if I can’t.”

Sidney nods, then brushes the salmon with a garlic herb mixture. He hands Steven the mustard greens to chop and starts up on preparing the quinoa and brown rice mixture.

“How’s it going, the therapy?” He finds a few beers in the fridge and hands one over while taking a sip of his own.

Steven’s eyes are guarded the moment the question is asked so Sidney turns his back to him to pay attention to the stove. It’s quiet for a few minutes, the only sound is Trigger in the other room shuffling about and the chop of the knife on the cutting board. Sidney’s sets up a timer near the stove once he’s got the rice ready and sees Steven shrug from the corner of his eyes.

“There’s some good days, some bad days.”

He understands that. He’s more surprised at Steven giving up answers so easily. Granted they’re not that detailed or helpful on understanding how he’s really doing, but it’s more than Sidney expected so he’s not complaining.

He knows how it feels, to be the Captain of the team and have your body fail you during the season. It’s emotionally draining. Painful and frustrating enough to slow the recovery by trying too hard. Its nights spent awake staring at the stats on the NHL website and having his trainers reprimand him over and over again to slow it down, let the body heal. It fucking sucks.

“Give those here,” Sidney says and starts spreading the greens around the salmon on the tray. He drizzles some more olive oil, sprinkles on some salt and pepper, and finishes it off with a few more slices of lemons. He pops it into the oven and wipes his hands on a towel.

“It takes time,” Sidney says and knows it’s the wrong thing to say as soon as Steven’s fingers curl around the edge of the counter and his lips give way to a miserable grimace.

“I’m gonna take him out,” Steven says when they hear Trigger whine and paw at the front door. He settles one crutch under his arm and Sidney watches him hobble over to the second one resting against the doorway to the kitchen.

“I can do it, if you want.” The timer goes off right as Sidney offers and Steven shakes his head.

“I’ll be fine,” and he’s gone.

Sidney sighs and removes the rice from the stove top. He’s got to work better at this comforting shit.

Sidney sets up their dinner with the perfectly cooked salmon, a side of greens, and a generous helping of rice on each plate and pours some wine before Steven makes his way back inside. He’s not exactly worried about Steven kicking him out, but he hopes he didn’t upset him enough to close up for the rest of the night.

“That smells amazing,” Steven says and Sidney looks up to find his blue eyes less cloudy, a soft smile lingering at his lips. It calms him down; he didn’t fuck it up yet.

“It’s my mom’s favorite salmon recipe.”

“Must be great then.”

“You let me choose what we’re having for dinner, you choose the movie.”

Sidney starts to make his way into the living room, a plate in each hand, ignoring Steven’s shocked expression. He hears the crutches hit the tiles as he rushes to join him. “A movie? You don’t want to go over game tape or something?”

Sidney clears up the coffee table, picks up the empty mugs and magazines. “Yes a movie.”

“You have a game tomorrow.”

“So do you.”

Sidney holds back his laugh at Steven’s adorably exasperated face.

“It’s good to take a break from thinking about the game, Stammer.”

He heads back into the kitchen and dumps the old dishes into the sink. He finds the bag of dog food in the pantry and pours some into Trigger’s food bowl before bringing it, and the wine glasses, back into the living room. Steven’s already settled on the couch, Trigger nuzzling at his feet.

“Here, buddy,” Sidney calls him over and places the food down.

“You know my kitchen better than I do,” Steven says and Sidney laughs while handing over a glass of wine.

“I like cooking.”

“You’re fucking good at it,” Steven says around a mouthful and salmon and rice. It should be gross, but Sidney finds himself smiling as he starts up on his own dinner.

“The Dark Knight? Really?” Sidney asks when he sees the movie start and Steven chuckles. “Jo was watching it last night, didn’t take it out before he left.”

“Ben Affleck was a better Batman.” Steven scoffs. “Closer to the comics maybe, but the entire movie? Batman vs Superman? Wasn’t that great.”

“Did you watch the extended cut or the original?”

“There’s an extended cut?” Steven asks.

Sidney points his fork at him. “That’s what you’re missing out.”

“I’m not playing tomorrow,” Steven says and it’s such an abrupt topic change that Sidney takes a minute to catch up, sips his wine and nods at Steven’s banged up knee.

“No kidding.”

“You said, ‘so do you’ but I’m not playing tomorrow.”

Sidney polishes off the last of his salmon and greens before setting the plate down on the coffee table.

“You’re going be watching, your heart's going to beating just as fast as them on the ice while watching your boys play. It’s your game too, even if you’re not playing.” Steven licks his lips and puts his plate down too.

“I’ve done this before, you know,” he reminds Sidney as if everyone doesn’t vividly remember when he broke his leg against the Bruins just a few years back.

“Never gets easier,” Sidney confirms.

He’s had a couple concussions to back him up. Never becomes less painful, never becomes easier to see your team struggling to keep doing well, well enough for each other and for you.

“It fucking sucks,” Steven says finally and Sidney reaches out to squeeze his shoulder.

“I brought chocolate covered strawberries.”

“What the fuck did you to Sidney Crosby.”

Sidney laughs and clears up their plates. “It’s berries! It’s healthy.”

“I’m not complaining man; I haven’t been treated this well in a while.”

The way he says it, voice fond and warm, make it sound like a date, which isn’t exactly what Sidney had intended, but he’s not opposed to the idea. It has him blushing either way.

“I’ll just go get them.”

He gives himself a few minutes to place the berries on a plate.

He’s always liked Steven. They’ve always gotten along, unless they’re playing against each other of course, pens and bolts aren’t exactly the best of friends, but when they played together, for Canada, Sidney loved being on the same team. He always made him laugh, in the locker room when it got really tense and Tazer would only amp up his intensity, Steven would make a stupid joke or remark that would have Sidney laughing despite feeling like their lives were hanging on the line between plays.

It wasn’t a date. He just wanted to check up on old friend, because he understands what he’s going through, knows the burdens and struggles of being a Captain taken out for months at a time. He just wanted to cheer him up.

It’s not a date, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing if it became one.

“Thought you finally got lost back there,” Steven says when Sidney makes his way back to the couch.

“Your kitchen is not that complicated, Stammer.” Steven grabs the plate and makes an obscene sound when he bites into the first berry, even closes his eyes as his lips close around the plump piece of fruit.

Fuck, okay.

Sidney doesn’t look away until Steven opens his eyes and licks some chocolate off his thumb.

“These are amazing, Sid.”

“Publix is a life saver.”

Steven laughs and there’s some berry juice on the corner of his mouth and suddenly Sidney wants nothing more than to lick it off.

Sidney picks out a strawberry from the plate now firmly in Steven’s lap. Some chocolate crumbles off and lands on Steven’s thigh. “Oh shit, sorry,” he reaches out to brush it off and feels the hard muscle underneath his hand. He looks up at Steven, his lips look extra pink from the strawberries.

“You’re so tense.”

“It’s the strain from the knees, pressure on this side,” he explains and Sidney, for some reason he can’t understand himself, doesn’t remove his hand. “I can ease it out,” he offers and Steven’s eyes widen; they’re really blue. Sidney feels that squirmy feeling in his stomach that Taylor describes as butterflies and tries his hardest to clamp down on it.

He’s offering some help, this isn’t a date, nothing about this is romantic.

“I have massage therapists for that,” Steven says and he looks amused. He bites into another strawberry and then offers it up to Sidney. “You haven’t even tasted these, you loser, I’m gonna eat them all.”

Sidney hasn’t moved his hand from Steven’s thigh and keeps his eyes locked on Steven’s when he brings the strawberry to his lips. He takes a bite and tries not to squeeze Steven’s thigh from all the nervous energy crawling up and down his body. It’s mixed up with a wanting he’s never associated with Steven before and it’s a little unsettling, but mostly awesome.

“It’s good,” Sidney says when he’s done chewing and Steven’s still staring at his mouth.

“Come here,” Steven says and Sidney doesn’t think twice before he leans over and kisses Steven. His lips are sweet and surprisingly really soft; Sidney melts against him. He’s careful about putting any pressure on his thigh so as not to strain his knee, but Steven’s kisses get deeper, wetter the longer they go one and Sidney’s very close to climbing onto his lap which wouldn’t be too wise.

Sidney cups his cheeks and changes the angle, swallowing the soft sound Steven makes. They both pull apart when Trigger begins to bark and paw at them.

“Hey bud,” Steven says and rubs the top of his head. Sidney’s mouth feels slick and his head’s spinning. He can’t contain the smile that spreads across his face when Steven catches his eyes.

“You can lead him to his room.”

“You gave your dog his own room.”

“It’s not really his room, it’s just where most of his stuff is and he likes hanging in there a lot.”

“Trigger has his own room,” Sidney laughs and Steven does too.

“It’s not that weird.” “It’s a little weird, but convenient, come on buddy,” Sidney smiles and gets up to trail after Trigger. He gets occupied fairly quickly, he’s a great dog in all honesty. He closes the gate that Steven must have set up for when he’s away and comes back to find Steven licking chocolate lazily off his fingers.

“You really did eat them all.” “I warned you,” Steven smirks and Sidney leans over him to grab the plate, but ends up kissing him instead when Steven tugs at his t-shirt. It’s a different angle, almost better than the other one before. Sidney can lead the kiss now, feel Steven’s mouth fall open and he licks in, wet and soft, taking his time to explore.

“Can I blow you?” he asks once he pulls away. He strokes a thumb down the sharp angle of Steven’s jaw.

“Fuck, yeah.”

“Bedroom? Shouldn’t strain your knee for so long.”

“Okay, Captain,” Steven grins and Sidney feels his cock harden up so quickly, he has to breathe in and out for a minute, still leaning over Steven on the couch. He’s not really interested in interpreting his Captain kink right at this moment though, so he helps Steven up and has him use one of the crutches and Sidney’s shoulder to hobble into his bedroom.

“This is a mood ruiner.” “Are you kidding?” Sidney laughs when they finally make it and watches Steven settle back into his bed slowly.

“I’ve never been more turned on in my life.”

“Shut up,” Steven grumbles and Sidney finds it so adorable, he has to kiss him. He makes it light and sweet and starts to tug at his sweats immediately. Sidney’s mouth waters when he feels Steven’s dick through his sweats, hard and hot, and he hurries up the process of stripping them both off.

“Get comfortable,” Sidney nudges Steven back and helps him settle on the bed. He uses a pillow to prop his knee up, and it should feel ridiculous, but he looks so fucking hot naked and waiting for Sidney to finish his adjustments, he can’t find a single ridiculous aspect.

Sidney climbs over him on the bed carefully, trembling in anticipation and need.

“Good enough?” Steven asks and it could be a joke, Sidney knows he wants it to be, but the look in his eyes is easy to read, the nervousness and tension, especially having known him this long.

“You have no idea,” Sidney says and kisses him. He lets himself go, feeling good with the way Steven’s stretched out and comfortable, kissing back just as eagerly, his fingers tangling into the back of Sidney’s hair. Sidney’s still wearing his boxers, but he can feel Steven’s dick right against his. He starts rutting against him, their dicks catching and sliding as Sidney presses closer. Steven sucks on his tongue and makes soft moans that make his dick ache with need.

He still wants to blow him.

Sidney trails kisses down his neck, sucking lightly on the soft skin, and bites when Steven squirms and grinds up. “Fuck, Sid,” Steven groans when Sidney pulls away to lick over the hickey he just made.

“Stop moving so much, Stammer, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“Stop teasing me,” Steven says and Sidney presses his tongue against one of the pink nipples, scraping over the pebbled bud with his teeth.

“Be patient.”

“I didn’t know you were so into- _oh shit_ -the wining and dining stuff, but this too?”

“I like taking my time,” Sidney says and lets his eyes linger over the way Steven’s tongue traces over his bottom lip. He’s really beautiful.

“Don’t move your leg,” he says then scoots down in between Steven’s thighs.

“Sid,” Steven’s voice sounds wrecked and Sidney hasn’t touched him yet. It thrills Sidney and he presses a soft kiss on his hip.

Sidney wraps a hand around him, jerks in slow pulls until Steven’s thrusting up, rubbing the precome that's gathered over the pink, smooth head. He runs his tongue on the underside, just a soft lick.

“God, yeah just like that,” he hears Steven murmur and it makes his own dick pulse more precome.

“Don’t move,” he warns again and sucks the head into his mouth. The first taste has him groaning and taking him deeper, planting one hand on his thigh and carefully avoiding his other leg entirely. He doesn’t want to be the reason they extend his injury.

“Sid,” Steven pleads, pushing up into his mouth. Sidney opens his mouth wide, loves the heavy weight of a dick in his mouth, and loves Steven’s fingers tangling into his hair even more. He knows he’s good at this, but he wants Steven to know that, wants him to fall apart and lose himself. Forget all the stress, the worry and frustration even if just for a few minutes.

Steven tugs and then whispers, “I want fingers.” “Yeah?" Sidney asks, licking over his own lips and smiling when he sees Steven's cheeks flush a darker pink as he nods. "Hold on,” Sidney swallows thickly and rolls over to reach the side table. He pulls out a half empty bottle of lube and smirks at Steven’s flushed face.

“Been busy?”

“Alone yes, can’t exactly pick up on crutches.”

“I bet you could.”

“But I haven’t.”

“How long?” Sidney asks, rubbing the bite mark he left on Steven’s neck. He leans in and presses a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw. Steven’s breath hitches and his cock jerks. He slides a hand down to touch himself and Sidney grabs his wrist.

“A few months,” he finally breathes out. Sidney presses another kiss on that sensitive spot and crawls back between Steven’s legs, being mindful of his propped up leg.

He slicks up his fingers and bends Steven’s leg that thankfully isn’t injured until he’s got better access. He presses a kiss to one cheek and rubs a slick finger against him rubbing softly, slipping in slowly.

“Fucking hell, Sid,” Steven gasps as Sidney presses in deeper, opening him up. “I got you," Sidney says and feels like he’s burning up. Steven is so responsive, makes soft whimpery sounds that go straight to his cock with every push. Sidney mouths at the base of his dick, working his way up to the head. He adds another finger, stretching him further and rocks them in and out slowly.

“Sid, oh fuck, faster please,” Steven pleads and Sidney gives in. He doesn’t know if he can hold out, shoves his boxers down a little to at least rub off against the sheets. He swallows Steven down and sucks hard and fast while pressing his fingers in deep. Steven moans and tugs at Sidney’s hair, trying to stay as still as possible.

Sidney finds his prostate and uses light pressure fucking in and out slowly. He pulls back to mouth at the head of his cock, tracing the thickest vein with his tongue. It's slick and filthy and Steven makes another strangled sound.

He takes him all the way down again and keeps a steady pressure, sucking and fucking him with his fingers in a rhythmic motion. It takes only a few minutes of that before Steven’s tugging at Sidney’s hair in warning and panting out his name in breathless groans. It’s so fucking hot, Sidney almost loses himself in the moment, wills himself to not come on the sheets without so much as a hand on him. He swallows down Steven’s come, waiting for his cock to stop pulsing before letting go and licking softly at the head.

“Okay, alright, come up here,” Steven finally says, breathy and blissed out.

Sidney pulls his fingers out slowly, carefully, biting his lip when he sees how Steven looks so open, wet, and pink now. He wipes them on the sheets and tilts his body to the opposite of the injured knee and smiles when he sees the sleepy, soft look in Steven’s face.

“Good?” Steven laughs and wraps a hand around his neck, wrapping his fingers into the chain to bring him close. He kisses him softly, soft slow licks that have Sidney feeling dizzy with want. His boxers were halfway down at this point and take only a second of moving about to take them off all the way.

“So good,” Steven says when he pulls away and wraps a hand around Sidney’s dick. Sidney tilts his hips up, rubbing into Steven’s hip, looking for more friction.

“Fuck, Stammer,” Sidney whines when Steven keeps his touch light, pulling the foreskin back and rubbing his thumb over the head to spread the slick. It's a little dry, so he lifts his palm to his mouth, licking long stripes, never taking his eyes off Sidney's face.

Steven’s eyes almost sparkle when he’s being a tease, and it makes Sidney’s stomach do that weird fluttery feeling again.

God, he really likes him.

“You close?” Steven asks and Sidney can only manage a strangled moan. He pushes his own cock into the slot of Steven's hip and ruts hard, seeing stars at the perfect friction and heat it brings him. Steven jerks him faster, panting against his skin and sucking bruises into his collarbone.

"Please,” Sidney forces out, voice shaking. His body is tense and hot. It feels like a live wire.

"Come on, Sid," Steven says, his voice soft, blue eyes intense. He can feel the orgasm building and sparks shoot up from the base of his spine. He comes with his teeth biting into Steven’s shoulder, muffling the embarrassing sounds he knows he’ll make, spills over Steven's fist onto both their stomachs. It drips down to Steven’s hip leaving a wet, sticky mess that makes him groan in surprise, shivering. Steven milks it out of him, kisses his temple as he comes down. Sidney uses the end of the sheet to clean them off.

They just lie there for a few minutes, after, kissing lazily, basking in the glow.

“I’m gonna have to head out soon.”

“Mmmm,” Steven smiles and Sidney laughs. He looks so relaxed, his hair adorably sex mussed and the hickey on his neck turning a pretty pink. Sidney strokes a careful hand down his thigh, over his knee and then pulls the blanket up to cover Steven up.

“Need to lock the house, Stammer.”

“Spare key’s under the laundromat.”

Sidney waits, lets himself indulge in Steven’s body, loose and open, the planes of his chest, the curve of his cheek, the slope of his nose. Once he falls asleep, Sidney presses a parting kiss on his cheek and gathers up his clothes, putting them on quickly. He sets the crutches next to the bed, and turns off all the lights that were still turned on.

He finds the spare key, pockets it, and makes his way into Steven’s kitchen, seeing the leftover food and dirty dishes littered all over. He gets to work quickly, storing the leftover salmon, rice, and greens in Tupperware with labels to make it easy. He washes the dishes, cleans up the countertops, and checks up on Trigger.

He’s fast asleep but Sidney opens up the gate anyway, in case he needs to go and Steven would either still be asleep or make his way over too slowly.

Once everything seems to be in order and cleaned, he checks his phone and finds a few texts from Geno, making sure he’s okay, a missed call from Flower, and a few snaps from Seguin and Tanger.

He calls for his ride and texts Geno back to let him know he’s fine and will be back soon. He’s not sure how to process the entire night, or how he’s realizing that he really, really likes Steven, but there’s no point of stressing out over something he can figure out later. There’s a game tomorrow and there’s only a few hours until he’ll be playing against Steven’s boys.

For a moment, he’s glad Steven’s not playing right now because he doesn’t want to go against him and crush his team. But it’s only for a moment and the thought is disturbing and wrong enough for Sidney to ignore it completely.

The ride back to the hotel is quiet and he crashes as soon as he gets into his bed.

 

They win the game.

There’s a mixture of sadness and elation in the arena, Sidney tries to focus on the joyous cries of his teammates, sees a few Pen fans raise their fists in triumph.

He’s happy, he is, he made two goals, Geno made two goals, it’s all fucking perfect really, but he can’t help but feel the air of anger and sadness rolling off the bolts more acutely than he would like to.

They’ll go back and lick their wounds, recharge and try harder, and he knows their Captain will take care of all the residual tension, anger, and desperation.

It’s what Captains do. Help their team stay focused, determined, strong even in the lowest of lows. It’s what they do even when they can’t play.

Their flight back is really late, but no one seems to mind after a win like that. It’s not until Sidney’s boarded the plane and about to turn his phone into airplane mode that he sees the text from Steven.

_Fuck you._

It makes him laugh and Flower gives him a sleepy, questioning look. Sid shakes his head.

_It was a fair win._

_I wasn’t there, mines didn’t have their C._

_They miss you._

_I miss them, I miss hockey._

_Take care of your boys, Stammer._

_You’re an asshole._

Sidney looks up to find Geno grinning at him. “Tampa friend?” he asks, smirking as if he knows exactly what happened. Sidney hopes his blush isn’t too obvious.

_I washed your dishes!_

_You owe me steak next time._

Sidney feels his stomach do somersaults. He feels like this is a good thing, likes knowing they could do it again. He really does like Steven.

_You got it._

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sucks that the season ended without Stammer making it back.  
> [ tumblr](http://avasilevskiy.tumblr.com/)


End file.
